Interviewing adolescent females in qualitative research

Abstract

Qualitative interviewing is widely used in educational research. However, while research related to effective interview strategies for use with many different population groups exists, the study of successful interview strategies for use with adolescent girls has been limited. To address this limitation, the researcher explores the various methodologies of qualitative interviewing, selects the most appropriate for her study, then outlines three important considerations for this population group: Ethical issues, power dynamics, and building trust. After discussing how these issues can best be addressed, the researcher includes reflections made after conducting two interviews each with eight adolescent females. The interview approach presented in this paper is not limited to use with adolescent girls but can be used in studies with varying population groups as well.